Coming off of a two-game win streak after beating Cal State Bakersfield 51-42 on Thursday night, Cal Poly women’s basketball look to build off of their momentum against UC Riverside on Saturday afternoon.
The Mustangs (10-10, 5-5 Big West) have fallen to UC Riverside (9-11, 5-5 Big West) the last three times they faced each other. Their previous game went into overtime, with the Mustangs dropping 60-62 in the 2024 matchup.
Ball safety and sharp shooting will be main points of focus against UC Riverside.
The Mustangs average 19 turnovers per game, the second most in the Big West. They have overcome this issue with high field-goal efficiency in past games, taking down UC San Diego 61-56 despite 25 turnovers, but that level of shot-making has not been consistent throughout the season.
The Mustangs struggled to generate offensive production against the Roadrunners last night, shooting 35.3% from the field.
Despite having only won one game the entire season, the Roadrunners stayed competitive. The Mustangs trailed the entire game until halfway through the third quarter.
While senior guard Annika Shah is known for her three-point shooting, she was limited to just one make on the night, which came in the third quarter. Shah’s role spacing the floor has led to opponents’ defenses focusing on her in recent matchups.
Against Cal State Bakersfield, turnovers allowed the Roadrunners to capitalize, scoring 15 points off Mustang mistakes.
The Mustangs also force the third-highest turnovers per game in the Big West with 17.8. The matchup against UC Riverside features the fourth and fifth ranked defenses in the conference, and in a potentially low-scoring game, each possession counts.
Tip-off against the Highlanders is set for 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 1. The Mustangs will then travel to Hawaii, before returning to Mott Athletics Center on Thursday, Feb. 13.
